All That Is Left Is Ashes
by Too Lazy
Summary: A Modern Tale. He was a jerk, he was rude, he was arrogant, some would say ugly but she loved him and he loved her but sometimes jealousy can burn more fiercely than passion can.
1. Prologue: Sunset

**All That Is Left Is Ashes**

**A Modern Tale. He was a jerk, he was rude, he was arrogant, some would say ugly but she loved him and he loved her but sometimes jealousy can burn more fiercely than passion can.

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**Hello there this is my first foray into the Avatar world and I hope I don't screw up to badly… with that said this story was inspired by YoukaiYume's fantastic artwork. You should go and see and leave her a nice comment. **

**This is short, shorter then what I mostly write but then this is a prologue and they are suppose to be short…at least that is what I think…Please read and review it will make a starving writer's day brighter however it still won't feed me (confused look).

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**Prologue: Sunset**

Some sunsets are so beautiful it will bring tears to anyone's eyes. If someone passed a giant oak tree in the middle of Worldren Central Park at sunset and seen young women sitting in the branches of the impressive oak they would have assumed the tears that slid down the young women's cheeks were from witnessing one of natures most splendid designs; they were wrong.

Seventeen year old Katara Waverten sat looking as the sun descended and turned the sky into a mural of light and dark pinks, blues and violets. The tears that slid silently down her face were in fact not as bad as they had been a month ago. A month ago the tears had been accompanied by her loud sobs a frequent question of '_Why'_ that no one cared to answer.

Katara let her head fall lightly on the cool weathered bark of the old oak tree. She lifted her hand that had rested against her chest to her face; in her palm was a lighter. It was a sliver lighter with intricate flames engraved on the front. As she look at the relatively harmful object she began to cry harder and her long delicate finger enclosed the lighter and she held it tightly.

Memories bombarded before her mind's inner eye, memories that she so deeply wanted to forget and so desperately wanted to remember.

A single word fell from her lips in a shaky breath as the sun finally disappeared from the sky.

"Zuko."


	2. Memory One: Love at First Fight

**All That Is Left Is Ashes**

**A Modern Tale. He was a jerk, he was rude, he was arrogant, some would say ugly but she loved him and he loved her but sometimes jealousy can burn more fiercely than passion can. **

**This story was inspired by YoukaiYume's fantastic artwork. You should go and see her other work and leave her a nice comment.**

Please review and no flames please!****

Memory One: It was love at first fight

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"You think coming to live with your grandmother she would let you stay home from high school AKA the social latter of hell and bake you cookies but no we had to get the grandma that gets us up at five to clean up make our own breakfast and catch the bus on time, which we still missed!" Sokka Waverten complained to his younger sister who had the good sense to ignore him.

Katara Waverten knew that complaining was just his way of dealing with going to a new high school and becoming new fodder for the social pecking order. Life was going to be different in Woldren city but hey to Katara change was just the first step to a new adventure that was her philosophy in life.

The bus came to a jolting stop and Sokka who was not paying attention slammed face first into the seat in front of him.

"Owww that hurt." Sokka nearly yelled holding his nose.

Katara rolled her eyes and went back to looking out the window as her brother whined about his nose bleeding.

When the two arrived at the school they were impressed but hid any awe they had, the two did not want to look like country bumpkins. Where they had come from their old school was a one story building set on an acre. This school was four stories and huge, not to mention the huge and grand structure had two other buildings surrounding it, one which housed the library and the other the indoor pool. If anything the school resembled a well to do museum. The two siblings made their way to the front office.

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Inside were several secretaries and teachers talking or bustling around answering phones fretting over lost files and or berating students.

Katara went over to the front desk and waited till the secretary was off the phone. When the secretary looked at the two she smiled. Katara did not get a chance to say anything.

"You two must be new to venture in here late as you are." She picked up two files and handed one two each of them. "Fill these out and I'll see about getting you a guide." The secretary then went back to answering the phones and filing papers. Katara and Sokka did as they were told. After they turned in there paperwork they waited around for a "guide" to show them around to their classes.

The two that showed up were definitely not what Sokka had been expecting. One was a girl with deep black hair dressed in black dress with army boots and she wore white and black make up that instead of making her look freakish made her look breathtaking. She had a big smile of her face and seemed real nice. The other was a boy who looked around fifteen wearing bright colors of orange and yellow and had a blue tattoo of an arrow on his forehead.

The girl spoke first.

"Hey I'm Suki Kyoshi and welcome to Woldren High." Suki said and she shook Sokka's and Katara hand, "and this is Aang Nomad." Aang smiled and waved.

"I'm Katara Waventen and this is my brother Sokka." Katara introduced.

"That is a very nice name Katara." Aang said sheepishly and blushed, Katara smiled and thanked him. Sokka made kissy faces behind his sister.

"Well lets get started with the tour shall we?" Suki said holding back a giggle at Sokka's antics and led the way.

After showing the brother and sister to most of their classes and the ladies began chatting about unimportant stuff until the lunch bell rang. Aang and Suki showed the siblings to the cafeteria and said they pick them up to resume their tour of the school after lunch as the tour guides had a practice meeting to get to.

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"How come we haven't gone to a single class not that I'm complaining?" Sokka asked his sister as they and several other students waited in line for what the school board thought was food.

"When don't you complain about anything?" Katara teased and her bother looked at what was supposed to be a hamburger with a frown.

"You know no mater where you go the food at school is always disgusting." Sokka whined changing the subject.

"You know you guys can leave campus if you want to get something eatable." said a voice from behind Katara. Katara blushed as when she turned and saw him.

He was foot taller then Katara with messy dark brown hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a black long sleeve shirt and blue jeans with black army boots. He had toothpick in his mouth and a charming smile on his face, Katara felt her self go red.

"Hi I'm Katara." She said as coolly as she could, knowing she must have been as red as a tomato.

"I'm Jet and it is _very_ nice to meet you." Jet said edging a bit closer to Katara making Sokka get defensive.

"Alright buddy move it along we don't need your charity!" Sokka snapped pushing back.

"Sokka knock it off it's not charity it being polite which you should learn some manners in!" Katara shouted to her brother drawing the attention of a few tables they were near.

"Hey Katara would you like to sit with me and my friends?" Jet asked completely ignoring Katara's brother.

"Sure I'd love to." Katara started to walk with Jet leaving her brother seethe in his instant distrust for the guy.

Jet led Katara to a table in the middle of the cafeteria where four other boys were sitting two were eating and the others were going over some papers.

"Hey Jet. Who's the chick?" Said a boy with a lanky look and less then chipper disposition, to Katara he looked a lot like Icabod Crane from the Sleepy hollow story. Katara smiled to him and the other boys looked up.

"Guys this is Katara, Katara allow me to introduce my band the Freedom fighters." Katara sat down where Jet had indicated.

"The _nice_ guy who spoke up first is Longshot plays base, the big guy next to him wearing the total out of styles eighty clothes is Pipsqueak, and he plays the drums." Pipsqueak took on an offended air and flipped off jet Katara held back a giggle as pipsqueak's outfit was totally wrong for the times. He was wearing blue baggy pants and bright multicolor shirt with a red bandana on. Jet smirked and continued the introductions.

"The guy who is short with the line tattoos on his face is Smellerbee he is pipsqueak's little brother and he's keyboard." SmellerBee nodded in Katara's direction then went back to writing down in a note book.

"Last and not least is The Duke he is the youngest but he is brilliant he's out manager." The tiny boy with a black shirt and tan pants with glasses smiled at Katara and went back over the papers Smellerbee was working on.

"We're going to have a gig at a club on Wednesday want to come?" Jet asked handing Katra a slip of paper and sitting next to Katara with a charming smile on his face.

Katara was just about to talk when her brother came up to her and pulled on her braid.

"What was that for?" Katara hissed and he brother stood before her stone-faced.

"Were going Aang and Suki are back they want to show us to chem-class now." her brother pulled her bye the arm and waved good bye.

"We'll see you later okay?" Jet called out. If one thing is said about him pesky brothers do not stop Jet from getting the girls he wants.

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As the four walked down to chemistry Aang noticed the way Katara was blushing and against his better judgment to keep his mouth shut decided to warm Katara about Jet before it was too late. However his words were stopped as the biggest jerk in the school walked right into him knocking him on the floor.

Suki bent down to pick Aang up as did Katara.

"Aang you okay?" Katara asked and Aang blushed slightly.

"Yeah I'm fine, thanks." Aang replied as Katara pulled Aang to his feet.

"Hey man you should pull the hood down and watch were the hell you're going!" Sokka shouted. And the guy stopped in mid stride and turned to face them.

The guy was wearing black jeans and boots with a black hoodie, his eyes were barely visible but Katara noticed one was mostly squinted shut but why she could not figure.

Aang quickly stepped in front of Sokka in effort to stop an impending fight.

"No problem here Kasai everything is cool!" Aang said a big grin on his face.

The guy looked passed Aang and spoke directly to Sokka.

"Who the hell are you to be yelling at me?" Kasai asked his features hidden but his voice of smooth and menacing and sent an odd shiver down Katara's spine.

"Well who the hell are you to knock people down asshole?" Sokka retorted stepping around a worried Aang, a quite Suki and stood in front of Kasai showing no fear. However what happed next caught Sokka off guard.

A fist shot out and landed right in his face knocking Sokka back into the lockers.

Kasai was about to kick Sokka while he was down till Katara pulled Kasai back by his shirt and onto the ground.

"Stay the hell off my brother!" Katara shouted as Aang and Suki helped Sokka with his bleeding nose

Kasai flipped back on to his feet, his hoodie fell back reviling his face. Katara's breath left her. His face was badly scarred around his right eye, which was the reason it squinted so badly. The rest of his face however was smooth and his eyes were that of intense amber that could make you feel if you were burning if you stared to long at them. His head was saved except for the small black pony tail onto his head. Katara could tell had he not been scared and smiled he would have been quite attractive.

'_Bad thoughts not good this guy is an asshole!_' Katara chastised her self mentally.

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!" a voice shouted from the end of the hall breaking Katara's train of thought; it was a teacher.

"About time!" Sokka shouted back as he tried to stand.

Katara stood looking at Kasai smirk at her. "Not bad girl but, we'll have to finish _this_ later. Hope to see you around." Kasai took off at a run away from the teacher. As he ran something fell from his pocket and Katara picked it up.

"You kids okay?" the teacher asked and helped Sokka up. "Everyone to the principals office!" and all began to follow the teacher.

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"Who was that?" Katara asked on the way down. Her hand fingering the lighter that Kasai dropped.

"That is Zuko Kasai, he is the worst guy in the school and not because he lacks in the looks department either, his father is bad news and Zuko is shaping up to be just like him already has been charged with arson and murder twice, but there is never enough evidence to convict him. Not to mention they say he helped his dad murder his own mother." Suki explained.

"Honestly the guy is just misunderstood, but he really is Anti-social and cranky, hardly talks unless it's to threaten, matter a fact the sentence he spoke with you Katara is the most I have ever heard him speak in one place." Aang chimed in as they took a seat while they waited for Sokka and the principal.

"Do you guys know where he lives?" Katara asked nonchalantly as she could.

"Don't even think about going after him he'll rip your head off and burn it for giggles!" Suki said her voice very stern.

Katara nodded and pulled out the lighter. It was sliver with an intricate pattern of dancing flames engraved on it. As she twirled it in her fingers Katara could not help but think what an interesting day it had been and how the rest were going to be.


End file.
